This is the point in YAGA where I get suspicious. Because so far this show has been very clear about who the bad guys are and who are the possible killers; Henry is the bad guy and Katherine is the possible killer. But with the death of Logan in Episode 2, and the videos found in Episode 3, Episode 4 “A Dance with The Devil” is making me feel like nothing is quite what it seems.
Don’t get me wrong, I still think that Henry is the ultimate evil of the story. And this comes while also thinking that that the burning body in Episode 1 was Henry and that he was brutally murdered by someone or something. He had a darkness in him that he wanted to twist people into and shape them in his vision. But while I’m looking on at Hudson Williams being completely unrecognizable as the villainous Henry, I can’t stop thinking about Clark Backo’s Carson.
MORE: Need a reminder of what happened in YAGA Episode 3 “A Good Boy”? Read our review.
Carson has been Rapp’s foil since the very moment she was introduced. She’s not afraid to like what she likes, like the fairy smut book that she was reading in the car. She also has no problem standing up to Rapp and his misogynistic ways. But in Episode 4 there were some subtle shifts in her that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. And no it wasn’t so much her using Rapp’s coffee test on Pam. It was how hard she went on Pam and then the whole lotion thing.
We’ve built a specific picture of Carson in YAGA where she would abhor the kind of tactics she herself used on Pam. So it was shocking seeing her be manipulative and cruel to Pam in a way that felt like it was less about finding out what happened to Henry and more about impressing Rapp. And she’s never been positioned as a woman who would want to impress anyone. She doesn’t fall for Rapp’s mind games either. So it doesn’t make sense why she would act like that.
And then there’s the lotion. When they’re visiting what’s supposed to be a crazy old witch who does pottery, she puts on that handmade lotion with no problem. And this comes after her basically shaming Angel for trying the drugs that this crazy witch lady made because of what’s in it. But then two seconds later she has no problem putting on the lotion? It doesn’t make sense why she would trust that lotion unless she already knows the crazy witch lady and trusts the product.
MORE: YAGA Episode 1 & 2 Review: The Way I’ve Fallen in Love with Noah Reid & Clark Backo
So yeah, I’m suspicious about Carson and her motivations. Because YAGA has been so precise with everything that they’ve done so far. Everything has its purpose and I’m pretty sure if I watch this show again after the season is done, I will be looking at it like “Are you serious? I should have clocked that earlier.” Well I’m clocking things in Episode 4. And as much as Rapp thinks that he’s playing everyone for a fool, I think he might be the fool, even if a charming one.
Then there’s the whole revelations about Henry and Logan. I really liked that Pam was unexpected. She wanted Logan for Logan’s sake. But unfortunately Logan wanted Henry. And I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, the true strength of an actor is how they disappear into a character without going full method. Because the full method is delusion at its finest. But true acting, like what Williams is doing, is making me forget that I’m watching the same person I fell in love with on Heated Rivalry and making me absolutely disgusted with the very fiber of Henry’s being.
Williams acting on top of Backo’s and Noah Reid’s really highlights the power of Canadian talent. And I hope that AMC sees how well YAGA is doing and gives me more Canadian sci-fi like we deserve. But back to YAGA itself. YAGA Episode 4 is twisting me up in knots where I can’t stop thinking about how it’s not what it seems to absolutely everything presented. And I’m going to hold on to that feeling until the end to see if it pays off. Because Kat Sandler and the team behind the show, they’re cooking something delicious. They have from the very start and I just have to trust in the process.
YAGA releases new episodes every Friday on AMC+.
